Soulless
by Princess in the Tower
Summary: Something rocks the foundations of the English monarchy. multi-crossover.
1. Death's kiss and Rebirth

Poor Edward. So this is what it felt like dying. Edward saw the creature lower its hood and press its mouth against hist. Its big tentacles, that's how he saw them as, pushed directly into his mouth and began sucking his soul. It drew his soul out from his body and into his mouth with little effort. Funny, thought Edward. So this is how it feels to die.

With the closest thing resembling a smirk, the creature pulled back the hood over its head and released him. The body felt limp to the ground.

His mother cried in agony as she cradled her baby boy. "sweetheart it's mommy. Please respond."

"She can't hear you woman." She heard the familiar voice say behind her. "You broke your promise . Now the debt is paid."

"It's not paid, you said you would take me instead."

"That was never part of the deal. I need you Margery to get my body back."

"And how am I supposed to help you when you've taken the only thing I've ever loved!"

"There will be others."

"No, I want my son. Give me my back my son!"

"It's too late." He said and with a wave of his hand beckoned the dementor to follow him.

"My son." Margery continued crying. She brought the five year old to his bed where he slept soundly, unmoving, breathing deeply as if he still lived.

"Mommy is that Edward?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes 'tis is." Margery Seymour said cradling her baby boy, singing him songs, whispering soft words in his ears in the hope he would come back to her but he remained the same.

Margery lost all hope he would ever wake up. When her husband came home bringing two year old Jane (who had been staying with her parents), Margery braced herself. Just then something happened.

Edward came running down the stairs sporting his favorite vest and wearing a thin, barely visible through the dim candles, smile. He greeted his mother and father and gave his sister a hug.

"Edward." Margery breathed. "You're ... alive."

"Of course I am mother, why wouldn't I be?" When she didn't say anything he laughed. "Silly mother. Father, did you bring me something from grandma's?"

"Oh yes, silly me how could I forget?" Edward laughed at this. "Here son."

Edward jeered at the humble basket but seeing his mother's look of disapproval at his actions, he changes his expression to one of gratitude. "It's beautiful daddy thanks. Tell grandmother I am very happy to receive her gift."

"Edward always so formal." John Seymour said kneeling down and taking his son in his arms. "You want to play war with your old man?"

Edward nodded vigorously.

Could it had all been a dream? Margery wondered seeing her husband and son play in the gardens from her window. It seemed so real. She had seen the dementor place its lips on her young son. She was so sure.

She went to his room that night to check on him. He looked so peaceful. She pushed the golden locks from his face and opened his eyes. He was in a deep slumber but he stirred, sensing an unwanted presence. Margery placed her hands on his chest, his heart was still beating.

She thanked gods that her son was alive. She especially thanked Merlin that he had guided her baby's soul back to his body. Margery had always prayed to the ancient gods. Her parents had taught her piety but Hogwarts had taught her the old religion.

She got under the covers next to her sleeping husband and closed her eyes, sleeping soundly for the first time in ten years since she married John.

Outside their house, a dangerous shadow gathered around the trees, emerged from the silvery blood of the unicorn _it_ just consumed. His plans had set into motion.

* * *

><p>Edward guided his sister to the king's chamber. He could tell she was nervous, he would be too if he was going to make love to the king of England. He kissed her forehead and told her not to be, and then turned his back on her and walked away.<p>

His sister's triumph had been everyone's triumph. The country believed that Catholicism had been restored and the king believed he'd found the right woman to take his mother's position.

Since the king was little, he had been very attached to his mother. And with his father hardly paying any attention to then, the two grew very close and naturally he wanted to emulate every aspect of her, and wanted all his wives to be in her image.

Jane had been schooled well by her brothers, especially Edward. She would not disappoint their king.

~o~

Edward slept miserably. He missed the company of his first wife. He'd married Anne after he discovered his wife cheating -with his father no less! Anne was a good companion but he didn't love her and he couldn't promise her that. It was not his style. She resented him for it and he didn't blame her. But her affairs with other men perturbed him, they caused him to stay awake at night, waiting to hear her confession.

"Who was it this time?" he asked when she came, her hair disheveled, barely dressed and she had the audacity of smiling and licking her lower lip with her wet tongue as she advanced on him.

"Sir Bryan if you must know."

Edward wasn't surprised.

He took her arm. "Be careful Anne, one mistake and we all fall."

Anne said nothing. He released her arm and she went to her vanity where she took off her clothes instead of waiting for her servants to come. Edward averted his gaze. He had always been afraid of women and they had always been afraid of him as well. They preferred men like his brother who were not afraid to speak their minds.

He felt Anne come near him and he briefly turned. "What?"

"It's been a long while since we have had another son. I would like another one."

"We don't have to do this now." He said and turned his back on her, closing his eyes before she tried to trick him again.

Anne closed her eyes and gritted her teeth in frustration. It was always like this with Edward. She had fallen in love with him at first sight. He was handsome, strong and intellectual and his career was on the rise but once she got on his bed he realized what a stiff he was. Nothing aroused him and even when they were alone he couldn't bring himself to say the words 'I love you.'

He is more an eunuch than a man. She was happy that they were back at court. There was so much to do here and with so many handsome men, hungry to make their first major score, she didn't feel so alone at night.

It was nice after all to feel loved.

Anne blew her candle and closed her eyes. She hoped that on the morrow her husband would wake up before she did, so she could be free to resume her liaison with the Bryan, the black pope.

There was something in that man that enticed her and it wasn't just the danger, but his big ego and his disregard for the rules. She felt more alive than she had ever felt when she was around him.

With this in mind, Anne drifted into a dreamless sleep.

~o~

Unknown to her Edward was having nightmares. _There was a little boy in the forest playing with his younger sister Elizabeth. Elizabeth held a flower for him then snatched it from his hands and ran with it to the forest where he chased but when he got to her "Gotcha!" she disappeared._

_"Lizzie? Lizzie where are you?"_

_"My boy." He heard a voice behind him._

_"Who are you? What do you want?" Edward stumbled and crawled backwards. He was very afraid of the figure in front of him._

_"My boy." It kept on saying._

_Edward tried to yell for help but no one came. Then a dark shadowy figure emerged from the night sky and grabbed him by his collar, pinned him against the tree and squeezed his neck so he would open his mouth. _

_He felt a deep pressure on his mouth and something wet and sticky forced down his throat as the thing crashed its lips against him. He tried to scream and fight it but it was useless and as it began to breath deep into him, he felt weaker and eventually he felt nothing._


	2. Wake me up from the nothing I've become

_It felt good to be asleep. Edward tossed and turned. His mother came to his room. "What's wrong sweetheart, having bad dreams again?"_

_He hated being talked to like a kid. He wished she would talk to him like she talked to the rest of his siblings. "Edward?"_

_"I am fine mother." He said. "I just had another bad dream."_

_"Oh dear. Do you want me to stay with you? Papa is out hunting with your new brother, he's teaching Thomas some of those useless skills."_

_Those useless skills could save me one day bitch when I am riding with the king! Edward blinked. Where did that come from?_

_"I am fine mother, really, I am." He said. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and she smiled and gave him one on the forehead then left._

_"Sleep tight my love." She said as she closed the door._

Edward sighed. He rubbed his temples. He couldn't sleep or eat and he dreamed the same dream every night. He was tired, he wished he could go back to sleep again.

It wasn't just a dream. It felt like a memory. He rubbed his eyes and went back to sleep. Anne came at that moment. She saw the bed-sheets wet with sweat. Her husband had been having bad dreams again. She didn't care but this new behavior of his concerned her. If Edward rose, she rose. Theirs was a marriage of convenience but one of mutual cooperation. In spite of what Edward thought of her, she wouldn't throw everything under the carriage just for pure lust.

She stripped and lay next to Edward. Maybe this will work. He was always stiff when he was awake, perhaps all he needed was a small incentive.

She rolled him over and descended down him. She felt a tremor through his body and she heard him moan with displeasure after she withdrew. Anne came on top of him and kissed his lips, silencing his moans and ending his disappointment.

* * *

><p><em>Edward<em> sat on the council next to his brother. They heard the king berate all his council members. Why couldn't they do their jobs? Why were there rebellions rising in the North.

Thomas rolled his eyes. "This is going to go on forever."

"The king has been betrayed by his nephew, he's married that French wh-"

"Edward do not be so crude, I would think someone replaced you with somebody more interesting and with a personality for once that can show anger, however controlled." Tom said, showing his brother a half grin.

Edward hated his brother's grin, it reminded him of his father.

The king's last scream made their heads snap up and returned their attention to their sovereign.

The king dismissed everyone. "Sir Edward, a word." Tom gave him another half grin and left with the rest of the council.

"Yes sire?"

"My father dealt with these rebels without hesitating, there was only one time that he hesitated and my mother told him not to. Her father would never have, so he should not. What do you think I should?"

"Your Majesty is sovereign and lord protector of his realm. Defying you is defying god itself."

"I like how you think Sir Edward, very few men think like you. I want you to visit my daughter and tell her to come back to court. I will head North and deal with this problem myself."

"Is that wise my lord?"

Henry turned. He placed his hands on the younger man's shoulders. "I like you Sir Edward, don't give me reason to hate you. My guards will be with you in case she gives you trouble, tell this to no one including your wife. I don't want the Imperial ambassador warning my daughter ahead of time. He turned my daughter against me when I was so close to convince her. My only consolation now is my daughter, lady Marguerite. My wife was so mad when we named her with the French version of her name instead of the English one. Now she is gone and I only have one daughter to remind me of her. I want you to bring her to heel."

"I shall do what you ask but I have to ask, why me? Why not Sir Francis?"

Henry snorted. "Sir Francis would be enough to scare her but my daughter is not so easily scared. Believe me, many have tried before. Seeing him would only make her more determined. I need someone who can convince her, someone to earn her trust."

Edward was honored by the trust the king placed on him. He turned on his heel to leave but the king's voice made him turn. "One word of advice sir Edward, do not believe anything my daughter says."

Edward said nothing and left the very next day to carry out his task.

* * *

><p>Mary was in her solar playing with her sister. She was a fast learner and she loved the new clothes her sister had made for her. Mary did not like sowing, she hated needlework as a child. She didn't understand why her mother made her take all those useless courses. How wrong I was. If only I listened to her. But it was too late to look back.<p>

She and Susan worked together on making new gowns for her sister. It was mostly Susan though.

"Is father going to come soon?"

"He will." Mary said and her sister said nothing but continued to play.

Mary suddenly felt something strange in the pit of her stomach, her chest constricted as if something was lodged inside, preventing her from breathing.

Elizabeth cocked her head. "Mary are you okay?"

"I am fine Bessie, go back to playing with your dolls. I will go outside to get some fresh air."

"Let me come with you, I want to build another snowman again."

"No Bessie, it's too cold right now but we can play tomorrow." She said seeing her sister's face drop. Bessie's face at once lightened.

Mary went outside wearing her winter boots and leather gloves. She had outgrown them but like Bessie she had little choice but to admit hand-me-downs. Unlike Bessie she did voice complaint.

She sat on a bench. It was surprisingly warm with red and white roses growing around it. Odd. Maybe it was a miracle, a sign from God that her life would start to turn around.

Her subconscious doubted it. It reminded her of all the times her father had made her promises and then broke them.v

Deep in her thoughts, she didn't notice the carriage coming her way or heard the sound of the horses' hooves.

~o~

If you were to be honest about Edward Seymour, it was that he was a cold man and he did not enjoy this mission but he did it anyway because if there was one good thing he learned while he was in Suffolk and Wolsey's service was that loyalty got you a long way up and Edward intended to rise, not just above the noblemen who'd laughed at him for being so far beneath them, but above the king himself.

He spotted the lady Mary sitting down on a bench contemplating. She was day dreaming as usual and Edward's cold, silky voice brought her back to earth.

"Sir Edward."

"Lady Mary. I see you are doing well. Your father sent me here to tell you that he expects you to sign the oath and if you don't you will be placed in a separate household with your servants reduced to one."

"And then?"

"You will be executed." he said cutting straight to the chase.

"My father wouldn't do that, he loves me. He would not execute his own daughter."

Edward laughed cruelly. "He is the king of England lady Mary and he will execute as many people as possible to secure his throne and my unborn nephew."

Mary's eyes widened. So soon?

"Oh no, not yet but soon." Edward said becoming serious again, knowing what had been going through her head.

Mary regained her composure and standing up, she said proudly. "You can tell the king that I will not sign the oath, not now and not ever and if he wants to kill his own daughter and damn his soul then so be it. I will not forsake my soul." And without another word she left.

Edward watched her go, his eyes cold and his face expressionless. If the lady Mary continued to be a problem, he would deal with her accordingly. The last thing England needed was a martyr.


	3. Thiever of children

When Margery arrived to save her son it was too late. The part that regulated emotion was sucked by the dementor. The other one, the one that regulated thought and restrained his most basic instincts alone slipped quietly back.

Margery still had bad dreams of that night. Her son screamed her name and she always came too late to save him.

She opened her eyes and found her son Thomas staring down at her with that greedy grin she had always been used to from their father.

"What is it now Tom?"

"Mother, aren't you going to say hello to your little boy?"

"You are not my little boy any longer, you haven't been for the past ten years since you got Nadine pregnant."

"She was a very beautiful girl, I am really sorry to hear what happened to her and the baby." He said.

"You never took things seriously. That poor girl was very hurt by your leaving that she committed suicide. You are so careless Tom, I expected better from you. I know your father did too."

At her last words, Tom's face fell.

He placed a hand on his mother's shoulder and sat next to her. "I will make you proud mother, I promise."

"Don't make promises you can break son." She said. It came like a whisper.

She kissed his forehead, rose from the bed and went to her other chambers to dress.

She missed John's presence but she missed Edward's even more. Edward had always been her darling boy. When she had him, she thought she was going to die but somehow she managed to pull through.

Her youngest sons -Tom and Henry- were too much like her late husband. Henry loved studying (though he wasn't as studious as Edward had been) and playing with his miniature models of ships. He didn't care about fame or glory. Tom on the other hand, inherited her family's ambition and his father's bad habits.

She lost counts of all the times she and John had made excuses for him. Tom was too much of a wild card, he went from brothel to brothel, moved from lady to lady as if he didn't give a care in the world who he was with or who their husbands were.

She rubbed her temples. She missed watching the children run in the forest. Since that night they never did and Tom had grown up resenting her for paying more attention to his older brother.

Tom didn't understand. So far he had only seen the evil of men. He didn't know of the other evils that lurked beneath the mortal plane.  
>Margery had and she had never been the same afterwards.<p>

* * *

><p>Edward greeted the lady Elizabeth. "Is that for me?"<p>

"Yes 'tis is, your father wishes you to come back to court along with your sister."

"And my sister, lady Marguerite? Is she going to be there?"

"She will." Edward said, smiling coldly at the little girl who took the doll from his hands and started playing with it.

If the king could not command the loyalty of his eldest daughter, perhaps the lady Elizabeth could be used to persuade her. He had seen the two interact and there was no question in what he saw. The lady Mary loved her little sister deeply, more than she had ever done her full sister.

"Would you wish to go back to court with your sister, lady Elizabeth?"

"Bessie, all my friends call me Bessie."

"Bessie then." Edward said with a half open smile. "Do you think you can do me a favor and convince your sister to go there?"

"Mary doesn't listen to me anymore. She just sits in her room and prays all day."

"But you are her favorite sister." Edward said.

Elizabeth blinked in surprise. "I am?"

He nodded. He sat on the floor and got closer to Elizabeth. "If you were to plead with her really, really hard she would listen to you and you two would see your daddy again and your sister."

"I don't know ... Mary doesn't like people giving her orders. She doesn't like me telling her what to do."

"You would not be telling her what to do. This is for her own good. Your father is very angry with her and if she doesn't sign what he wants her to sign, those evil men will tell him to kill her."

"He can't do that!"

"He will, your father is at their mercy." He said smoothly, his voice soft and his tone amusing. "It's a shame that you two can't be there to help your sister save him from those evil men."

"Are those the evil men that ki-executed my mother?"

"They are." And now they will execute your sister -his eyes said, twinkling with excitement as the little girl trembled.

He pulled her to an embrace. "You can help her lady Bessie, just tell her the truth -how much you love her and how sad you will be if she dies."

Elizabeth nodded and wrapped her tiny arms around his clothed chest.

Edward smiled coldly.

Bryan would have threatened lady Mary with his vulgar ways and achieved nothing. That's why some things you didn't leave to the king's muscle.

Brute force was so overrated. There were other ways to get things done and one of these was messing with people's mind. His favorite game since he was a child.

* * *

><p>Mary blinked away her tears. <em>"Sign it Mary please!" <em>She heard her sister's voice scream in her head. This is not for me. This is for my sister, who has no one but me to take care of her.

She did it. She signed her name on the dreadful document then turned her gaze away, avoiding the look of triumph from the queen's brother and ran back to her chambers, where she collapsed on the bed and buried her head in the pillow, drowning her cries.

Edward smiled. This was one of the good reasons why being the king's lackey paid off. He could torture and kill other people from the inside as his father had killed him when he slept with his wife.

He left the residence. On his way out however, he felt prey to a terrible cold and he had to be brought back to Hudson where Mary ordered her chambermaids to take him to the guest room.

Mary prayed for a fast recovery. It was the Christian thing to do and her mother had taught her selflessness above all else. But if she wasn't restrained by these rules, she would pray for his death. A terrible and agonizing death just like the one she experienced when she signed that document.

"Good night Sir Edward, may god keep you safe." Mary said and left his room.

Edward was unresponsive.

He heard voices in his head. He heard the lady Mary speak but he didn't understand what she was saying.

Edward opened his eyes and watched the young woman leave.

Funny.

It was the first time he ever noticed her blue eyes when she turned briefly to tell him good nights.

He opened his mouth to respond but no sound came.

He drifted into a dreamless sleep. The next day he felt worse.

The king's physician was sent to examine but found nothing wrong with him. He was good physically and he didn't exhibit any of the symptoms related to the flu or the plague.

Edward stayed in bed for another week.

Mary wrote to her father. She congratulated him on his new marriage for a third time. When she put her quill down she remembered something she thought she had long forgotten.

_Mary started singing as her parents began fighting. She pretended she was playing her virginals again and she started dancing and singing loudly and as she passed her mother, she yelled "Shut up." Mary pretended not to hear. That night she wiped her tears and went to bed. Her father visited her at night and whispered how sorry he was._

He wasn't sorry. She could understand why her mother shouted at her and resented her in the end. She was going to be queen someday, queen in her own name while her mother would always remain queen consort.

It was natural to feel some envy. Her mother had been a good person all her life and her kindness had been rewarded with unkindness but her father didn't have any excuse.

He could have married her since she was twelve or give her off to one of his nobles. It would have solved the whole problem with his lack of male heir.

But no, he had to have his own son. She hoped that lady Jane, his new consort wouldn't have a son. She hoped he never had sons. He didn't deserve to be happy.

Edward mumbled something intelligible in his sleep. Mary cocked her head. She gave her letter to her servant then walked to his bed. She leaned her head forward to hear what he was saying. "Open ...open at the close ... I open at the close."

She didn't understand what he meant.

She placed a hot towel on his forehead then blew out the candles and left.

* * *

><p><em>"Mommy Edward is doing something weird." Jane cried to her mother. <em>

_"Edward?" _

_Edward was seated on his father's desk. He was looking down on his favorite dog. He was cowering beneath his feet._

_Edward eyed him with huge interest. "Come here puppy." He said. His tone was cold. It got colder as he hopped down from the desk and continued to call on the dog and he continued to ignore him._

_"Here puppy." _

_Apollo was his father's favorite dog and his brother's. How sad it would be if his brother found his puppy chocked on his own blood._

_"Edward what are you doing?" _

_Edward let go of the pup._

_"Mother I am sorry, I saw Apollo cowering on the grass and I tried to play with him, you know to make him feel better but he ran away from me and when I came here I tried to pet him but he bit me mother. He bit me." _

_"Oh Edward I am so sorry. Come here. My boy, my sweet boy. You were just trying to do your best." She embraced him and sang him a lullaby so he would fall asleep._

_John arrived to his study accompanied by their youngest sons. Tom screamed seeing his favorite pup withering in the floor._

_"What did you do? You killed my pup!"_

_"Shh Tom you are going to wake up your brother. He tried to save him."_

_"Like hell he did. He killed him. Something is wrong with him. You're always defending him but look at him. Every time something bad happens he is there. He has the mark of the devil."_

_"Thomas!"_

_"It's true." Her four year old son. "He has no friends. The other kids don't want to play with him." _

_Margery knew he was right. Her son was nine years old but he didn't have any friends. Her husband told her about sending him away to her once removed cousins, the Bryans but he was too small and too shy._

_"Margery the boy is not getting any better and Tom is becoming very bitter around him."_

_"Tom always complains about everything." _

_"Margery I am not asking you as your husband but as our son's father. Let him stay with the Bryans for a while. Who knows. It might do him some good."_

_Margery was adamant. She would not let go of Edward. _

_I let him go once and he was taken from me._

_John sighed. _

_It was up to him to bring some sanity into their lives. He kept Edward and Tom apart. Edward spent most of his time in his lessons and going to his mother's relations states for the summer where he received a great education. When he was eighteen, he went overseas to follow in his father's footsteps and become a soldier. From that point on he became the golden sun of his family. _

_But John couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with Edward. When he smiled, he didn't smile, when he laughed, he didn't laugh. It looked fake, like something he'd copied from his peers._

_Before John died he went to his eldest son's closet. He was so happy that his daughter had become queen. He wished he could be at the wedding but Margery insisted he stayed home so his health became better. Life at court was not as he expected and he feared his sons were becoming too ambitious, even Tom who had been his pride and joy. _

_He was the complete opposite of Edward and didn't care for anything or anyone just like he had. Margery was too harsh on the boy but he was young. He would grow up._

_Margery told him to be ready for dinner. She was inspecting the kitchens, making sure that everything was ready. The female staff had not yet finished pounding all the sugar as they should have. She was getting frustrated with these girls. They were young but that's how her husband wanted because of his precious boy, Tom._

_Ugh. She sighed in frustration._

_Meanwhile John searched through his son's stuff for anything he could find that could prove his theory. _

_"There you are." He said to himself and took the artifact to the church nearby. It hadn't been closed down yet and the priest was a good friend of the Seymours. He analyzed it then gave it back to John. His hands were shaking._

_"What is it?"_

_"John you need to get your family to safety and fast."_

_"Margery won't agree-"_

_"John you don't understand, this isn't just a family matter. Look at the inscriptions here. Do you recognize this language?"_

_"No, I never seen it before. Is it Greek?"_

_"No, Greeks used the alphabet although it was different. Look." He took him to his private quarters where he showed him an ancient parchment with strange drawings. "This is an ancient manuscript translated from the original document that speaks of an ancient evil that sucks souls."_

_"Banshees? I've heard of them in my bedtime stories. You can't except those tales to be true?"_

_"Not banshees John, soul-suckers. Every culture has a name for them. We see it as demons but the pagans called them dementors. Some heathens still call them as such. The last pagan burned to the stake spoke that every victim would die. The body cannot survive without the soul unless you were cursed with the devil's powers."_

_"Then what happens?"_

_"You fall into a dreamless and you wouldn't die until your body shuts down."_

_"I prefer the instant death then." John said wryly._

_The priest nodded. He turned the other page._

_"What's that? That boy placed on an altar?"_

_"That is the rare occurrence. The live sacrifice."_

_"But I thought you said they died or slept."_

_"They do but there is a prophecy of a cult within these heathens who worship Satan and after all their sacrifices and children offered to these demonic creatures, Satan will bless one child with the power of resurrection. A perfect child to guide his flock."_

_John blinked. He looked at the priest then back down at the page then behind him at the exit door that led to the altar where the holy cross was placed._

_"John?"_

_Oh God._

_"John where are you going? John!" But his friend and old landlord was already out the door running back to his state._

_"Margery! Margery!" He called but Margery did not hear him. He rushed to the kitchens but the doors closed before him then he went downstairs and the doors to his chambers closed once again. Only one door opened and it was his son's._

_John breathed deeply. He walked slowly into his son's rooms. _

_'Those who pray to the old gods will be rewarded by the stars where they live from the space between the spaces.' He heard a voice say. 'Those who do not believe shall be punished two fold.'_

_When Margery went to search for John she found him on their eldest son's rooms lying on the floor, dead._


End file.
